Today’s digest continues the key themes of yesterday as the top stories remain the same, albeit having moved on. The crisis in Kiev and Ukraine continues with Russia stepping up the rhetoric after the new Western-leaning leadership issued an arrest warrant for ex-president Viktor Yanukovich. After ex-prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s release at the weekend, it looks like part of the deal for gaining high office in the country is to spend some time in prison, let the new leaders beware, and as developments shift across the country there is talk of a possible split between east and west, the question is whether that would be acrimonious or not, probably the former....

And back in Britain and rival views over North Sea oil and the possible England-Scotland split continued. Scotland’s first minister Alex Salmond said an independent Scotland should have a separate oil and gas fund while the UK prime minister David Cameron – who reportedly ‘cried with joy’ over David Bowie’s intervention at last week’s Brits awards - said reserves could be better managed with Scotland as part of the union. Both men were in Aberdeen, both unveiled plans to ensure that North Sea oil and gas continues to pump billions into the economy, but will the dispute end up as heated as that between east and west Ukraine, we shall see.

Back down in London and in the City it was all business as usual as yet more bankers’ bonuses were awarded at HSBC. What’s worse is that despite the new EU bonus cap, the bank decided it still wants to pay its top staff millions so have come up with a new ruse, giving allowances of £32,000 a week to its chief executive on top of his £1.2 million annual salary. Is it time for a windfall tax on elite bankers’ bonuses? No, just raise the top tax rate to a fair and proper level and follow through on the idea of progressive taxation, rather than penalising the poor.

Speaking of which Tory MP Peter Bone is reportedly in a bit of bother having been quizzed over a possible £100,000 benefits fraud linked to his mother-in-law’s finances. A file has been sent to the CPS. Coming after yesterday’s expose in the Mirror of MPs raking in hundreds of thousands from housing benefit payments, today we also find out that the Queen and Prince Charles are receiving thousands of pounds of housing benefit because hard up tenants in Crown estate properties can’t afford to pay the rents the royals charge.

And the Mirror also reports on how the government today plans to hit the most needy with plans to block a fund which could pump millions of pounds towards food banks for people struggling to heat and eat. Tory MEPs are expected to vote against the European Aid fund today, remember almost one million people are expected to have to rely on food banks to feed their families this year.

That takes the digest to Jack’s petition. Again in the Mirror, food blogger and hunger campaigner Jack Monroe outlines her petition calling on the government to end the scandal of UK hunger. There are key pledges called for in next month’s budget, calling ion the government to acknowledge the huge rise in food banks the budget should bring in a living wage, axe the bedroom tax and tackle rising food and energy costs. You can sign the petition at www.change.org/endhungerbudget, sign it now…